


choked by smoke

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, F/M, Het, Rare Pair, Romance, Spookyflashweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-29
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-04-28 20:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5103932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caitlin and Joe, in the park on an autumn day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	choked by smoke

**Author's Note:**

> For SpookyFlashWeek2015, day 6, autumn/sweater weather AU

Caitlin sits on the park bench and pushes her hands further into her pockets, warming them against the chill of an early fall. She's glad she put on her heavier coat, even happier she'd decided to dig her favourite sweater from the back of the wardrobe. It's a soft knit in a shade of burgundy that does amazing things to her skin and hair and the memory of the look in Joe's eyes when he saw her in it warms her still more. 

She lets her eyes wander across the park, stops when she sees a tiny puppy frolicking through a pile of russet and gold leaves. A little girl who can't be more than five or six runs after him, shouting his name and trying to get him to leave the leaves alone but when he doesn't seem to be listening to her, she seems to decide if she can't beat him, she's going to join him and then she's in the middle of the leaves as well, throwing them up into the air and letting them fall in showers around her. 

The image makes Caitlin smile, brings back long forgotten memories of playing in the park when she was that age and she's so lost in her memories that she doesn't hear Joe approaching, doesn't realise he's there until he sits down beside her, nudges her with a travel cup of coffee. "You getting ideas?" he asks with a teasing smile on his face and she glances back at the little girl and the dog, shakes her head. 

"No," she says softly.  "No little things, I promise."

She takes the cup from him and he takes one of her hands in his, just for a moment. It's still warm from the coffee but the look in his eyes is warmer still. "Caitlin..." he begins, all traces of teasing gone, but she cuts him off with the tiniest shake of her head. 

"We talked about this," she reminds him and he presses his lips together as he nods. It had been an amicable conversation too, both of them in agreement : he'd reared his kids already and with her unique bio-chemical makeup, there was no way of knowing what havoc a pregnancy would wreak on her body. Best to leave well enough alone, they'd decided, be content with the unexpected second chance that neither of them had ever believed would come their way. 

It's just that every so often, that sense of what might have been but never will sneaks up on her suddenly, like being choked by smoke, and there's nothing she can do to stop it. Those are the times that Joe wobbles in his beliefs because there's one thing that he can't stand and that's to see her in pain. 

He sighs a long sigh and she knows what he's going to say. "You know if you change your mind..."

"I know." She shifts on the seat, presses her body closer to his and he takes the hint, sliding his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She feels him press a kiss to the top of her head and it makes her smile as she takes a sip from her drink. The taste makes her eyes grow wide. "Pumpkin spice latte..." His eyes dance as she stares up at him. "Joseph West, cheating on Jitters?"

He shrugs with the arm that's not around her shoulders. "Don't tell Iris," he says, lips twitching and while they've sworn to always be honest, she thinks this lie of omission is for a good cause. 

"My lips are sealed," she says and this time when he looks down at her, raises an eyebrow, the look in his eyes is far from teasing. 

"Oh, I hope not." He leans down and presses his lips to hers and the curve of his lips is mirrored on her own as another surge of warmth flows through her, banishing the fall chill away. 


End file.
